Typically, gas turbine engines include a compressor for compressing air, a combustor for mixing the compressed air with fuel and igniting the mixture, and a turbine blade assembly for producing power. Combustors often operate at high temperatures that may exceed 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Typical turbine combustor configurations expose turbine blade assemblies to these high temperatures. As a result, turbine blades must be made of materials capable of withstanding such high temperatures. In addition, turbine blades often contain cooling systems for prolonging the life of the blades and reducing the likelihood of failure as a result of excessive temperatures.
Internal cooling systems often include a plurality of impingement orifices positioned in a wall. The wall with the impingement orifices is typically positioned in close proximity to another wall surface, whereby the cooling fluid flowing through the impingement orifices form impingement jets that are directed into contact with the wall surface. As such, the impingement jet of cooling fluids impinge on the wall surface, which increases the cooling efficiency of the cooling system.